In a way, you have to feel bad for Carmelo Anthony, right? Poor guy has been waiting for this moment his whole career — wined, dined, the whole nine — and he’s milked the Tour de Melo for all it’s worth, and he’s said to be agonizing over the decision, which is understandable …

And of course That Guy is in the way again.

Story of his career, story of his life, story of how the rest of his career will be for Anthony, regardless of when he opts to make official what still seems to be a decision to stick with the Knicks and stay in New York: no matter what he does, no matter where he goes, no matter what he says, no matter how he plays, That Guy will always cast a longer shadow.

And it makes you realize why it might just seem so appealing for Carmelo Anthony to do anything, at any cost, to figure out a way to play alongside LeBron James, if not today then one of these days, if not in Miami then in New York, if not New York then in Cleveland, if not there …

Well, think about it:

Melo was the best player on a feel-good Syracuse team that won the NCAA Tournament in 2003. In almost every era, at almost any time, that would make him the most talked-about basketball player in America, the most coveted talent in the NBA … except Melo’s freshman year at Syracuse happened to coincide with James’ senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron.

That’s like walking into a bar feeling awfully damn good about your prospects, seeing every eye turn to you as you walk in the door … except George Clooney is walking in behind you.

That was the first time. And it’s never really stopped. Even in New York, let’s be perfectly honest here: He was a consolation prize. It was a terrific consolation prize, sure. But James was the object of every Knicks fan’s obsession four years ago, and the fact the Knicks couldn’t close with James when they had spent every working hour and waking hour for two years clearing the decks for him …

Well, I’d say that’s part of the reason Melo has never been entirely accepted by 100 percent of the fan base. Because an immeasurable talent is still not an immortal one. Because as good as Melo is, he will never be LeBron.

He’ll never be That Guy.

And the thing is, mostly, he seems at peace with that. He and James are friends. He has spoken often of how much fun he has on Olympic teams, because he gets to play on the same side as LeBron, gets to figure out how to receive passes from him instead of guarding him. Close as they were, there always seemed to be a part of Charles Barkley that chafed at the knowledge he never would be Michael Jordan.

We’ve never seen that with Melo. That’s part of why it makes so much sense for him to stay here, especially if you believe that being a star in New York still matters as much as it once did. It seems to matter to Melo. THAT’S something he can have, and for years to come, that LeBron never will.

And yet …

And yet, in what was supposed to be the Summer of Melo, in what was supposed to be a second great recruiting tour to go along with the one he enjoyed as a high school junior at Oak Hill Academy … he is practically invisible. All anyone wants to know now is: Miami or Cleveland? And those aren’t Melo’s preferred destinations.

It’s That Guy’s time. Again. Even when there is no television program, no spectacle like four years ago, LeBron is LeBron and he clogs the Internet, the TV, and every few hours it seems he’s on the verge of blowing up Twitter.

Melo?

We care here, of course. He’s our guy, and seems on the verge of staying our guy. We’d like him to decide, because basketball matters to New York, and the Knicks matter, and once he signs on the dotted line Phil Jackson can get on with the business of making something out of the roster. Maybe that happens Friday. Speaking for, well, everyone, I hope it does.

And if it does, it’ll be a blip on the screen, soon to be swallowed by That Guy’s choice. If it even gets that much attention. It must be cold there in his shadow.